The Travois
by Sheller2
Summary: This is a quickly written one-shot leading into the launch of Season 6.


_**Interesting theories abound regarding Season 6 ! At Longmire Days in July, I picked up my Coffee Table book and poured over it at length. There was one very intriguing photograph of a broad landscape with what appeared to be a small figure shown in the distance – to me it looked like Walt, dragging a travois. I asked Dennys Ilic (one of the chief photographers) about this photo, mentioning that I had never seen anything like this in Season 4 or 5, and he said he didn't know anything about it. Hmm…sounded a bit vague to me, particularly since he was one of the book's editors and would presumably know of every selected photograph in great detail. I've since seen a hint of this image being linked to Season 6, so I have theorized that it's a photo of Walt dragging Henry back to medical aid on a travois. I'm also curious why an image shot from Season 6 ended up in the book, which was supposedly photographed exclusively during Season 5.**_ _ **Does anyone know anything about this image**_ _ **? It intrigued me enough to write this short story. Apologies to you – this was a quickly written one-shot in which I push the characters in a direction that I want to see, which provides somewhat of a resolution to the angst-ridden Season 5 cliff hanger. I hope it's not too sappy.**_

The Travois

Walt felt his strength waning as he tried his best to drag the primitively made travois across the hot plain. He had carefully loaded his best friend Henry onto the travois which he had fabricated from branches, scraps of twine and a leather belt. It was not a well-made travois but would be sufficient for the task at hand. Walt had gently fixed Henry to the frame with strips of his denim shirt, trying to avoid the raw skin exposed on Henry's wrists and ankles. It looked like Henry had been tied to stakes in the ground for several days. Walt knew that the ride would be rough, but he had to get Henry to medical aid as soon as he could. Extreme dehydration and exposure to sun could be fatal. Thankfully Henry was unconscious and probably would not be suffering too much from the rough ride or more abrasions from being hastily tied to the travois.

Walt's current struggle was not only due to the heavy load he was carrying but also his disturbed emotional state. He had been fighting with Henry for months and was emotionally drained. He had been sick with worry when Cady told him a few days ago that Henry was missing. Walt was hugely relieved to have located Henry, thanks, in part, to some incredible tracking assistance supplied by the Crow Medicine Woman that Henry had turned to before to help heal Gab Langton. But it was an incomplete feeling for Walt. Lately, he felt that he had been at odds with everyone in his life - Donna, Vic, Cady, Henry, Jacob… In perfect "Walt-hide-from-everyone-Longmire" fashion, he had isolated himself from the pain he was feeling, turning to his old pals alcohol and rage to shut the world out. Instead of turning to those who he loved and who loved him, he retreated within himself once again. His pain was emotional as well as physical, although he was yet unable to recognize the exact parameters of his tortured state. For weeks he had tuned himself out from unrelenting but well-meaning comments made by his long-time mother figure, Ruby, who always seemed to know what was best for him. Walt had grown irritated by Ruby's prying, but could not bring himself to tell her to bug off.

Moments before he had finally located Henry splayed out in the baking sun, Walt had been bitten by a rattle snake. At one point when he was climbing up a rocky cliff for a better view of the plain, he had grabbed onto a section of rocky outcropping for balance. Unfortunately the snake was lying in the warmth reflected at the base of the rocks. The snake did the only thing he was programmed for, and he struck at the hand that came near him. Luckily Walt was wearing his heavy rawhide work gloves, but still, he could tell that the skin had been broken on his right hand. He thought he had not borne the full brunt of the snake bite, but he was really working hard and thus the extreme exertion brought on from dragging his friend had increased Walt's heart rate and thus the toxic venom was swiftly circulating through his weary body.

He was glad that he had given his last known location to Vic. Hopefully she would be approaching the spot where he parked the Bronco and he could count on her to follow him out on the plain and provide assistance. His hand was going numb and he felt very lightheaded. Sweat poured off his forehead. But Henry's life depended on his extreme effort. He struggled on, with frantic disjointed thoughts that he would not be able to bear the loss of his best friend. Even though they had been fighting for months and had hardly spoken to each other, there was still the thread of their friendship that bound them to each other. It took Walt more than ten minutes to get to within sight of the Bronco and by that time, Vic was running towards him. Walt began to stagger and fell forward onto his knees suddenly, finally losing his ability to continue.

"Walt…" Vic yelled with great concern in her voice. She had not yet seen Henry on the travois.

"Vic, I got bitten by a rattle snake. We've got to get Henry to the hospital," Walt gasped, unable to make any forward progress. He cradled his right hand as he sat in the dirt.

Vic grabbed at his arm, not quite sure what to do about the snakebite. She then saw Henry lying lifeless on the wooden frame. Thankfully, Ferg had also been instructed to drive to Walt's location. He was on scene now and raced towards Walt and Vic. Vic was trying to get Walt to lie down, but he would not. "Just take Henry…forget about me," he said with as much commanding force as he could, while sprawled on the ground, totally spent.

"Ferg, help me," yelled Vic. "We'll get Henry first, and then Walt." It pained Vic to say that, but she could tell that any argument to the contrary would not work. There was no time to spare. Vic knew that Walt would insist that Henry be given priority treatment. Between Ferg and Vic, on the travois that was barely tied together, they managed to drag Henry to the Bronco. They loaded him in the back, covered his torso with Vic's spare cotton shirt sprinkled with water, and Ferg sped off to the hospital, leaving Vic behind to deal with Walt.

Vic managed to get Walt upright and she put her arm around him to steady him. It was not clear to her whether he was exhausted from the snakebite or from dragging Henry across the landscape. He was shaking his head to try and clear the fog. "Vic, where's Henry?" Walt asked, seemingly unaware that Henry had already been carried off to the hospital.

"Ferg's got him, Walt. He's on the way to the hospital. Now let's get you going there too, ok?" Vic pleaded with him. He seemed to be losing the ability to form clear thoughts. She managed to drag him to the passenger side of her truck. She quickly drew the glove off his right hand to look at the wound. It looked like there was at least one puncture wound. The bite mark was somewhat discoloured and looked painful.

"Vic," Walt managed to say. "Be careful, there might be some venom on the glove. If you had a cut on your hand, you could get poisoned too. Bring it along and maybe they can use it at the hospital to determine what kind of rattlesnake venom it is, how toxic it is…" Walt was starting to slur his words…

Vic buckled Walt into her truck and suggested he drink as much water as he could tolerate. Surely he would be dehydrated from his exertion, but maybe the water could dilute the toxin a bit, Vic thought to herself.

Ferg had radioed to Ruby to alert the hospital of his arrival. Preparations were swiftly made to receive a patient in Henry's condition. As well, the doctors had had a few moments to prepare for the snake bitten Walt to arrive and receive treatment. Ferg also contacted Vic to make sure she was coming with Walt. As Ferg drove at top speed to Durant Memorial, he desperately wished he could be in the wayback tending to Henry. Although he had never confessed this to anyone, Ferg held Henry in tremendous regard. Henry always seemed so tall and strong and confident and oozing with mysticism. His strength lay not only in bar tending and diffusing fights, but also with helping people on the Rez. And with the ladies…. Henry could teach Ferg a thing or two about that…. For Walt's sake, Ferg was desperate to play a role in 'saving' Henry. Ferg had first become aware of the legendary Henry Standing Bear when he was a teenager, and Ferg was thrilled years later to have regular contact with Henry through his association with Walt.

"Henry," Ferg yelled. "Wake up…you're safe now. Walt found you." Ferg wished his words could reach Henry and give him something to fight for. Although he had had a head start, Ferg reached the hospital at virtually the same time as Vic. She had driven at break-neck speed, with fear of losing Walt dictating the heavy pressure of her foot on the gas pedal.

At the Emergency entrance Ferg gave the medical personnel a quick verbal outline of the situation. Henry was swiftly loaded onto a gurney and whisked away for assessment and treatment. Of the two men admitted to the Emergency room, his status was the most precarious. He had been exposed to burning wind and sun for three days and was severely dehydrated. The main concern for the medical staff was to balance Henry's electrolytes, rehydrate him and assess for possible kidney damage. Then the focus was to generally make him more comfortable with soothing medicinal lotion applied to his sunburns. His wrists and ankles were encircled with raw wounds and he had a partially healed cut on his forehead. Aggressive treatment over the first few hours would gradually stabilize his vital signs and flush toxins and replace fluid loss. Over several days, his body would rebound from the treatment and find balance again.

Vic and Ferg huddled in the waiting room, providing updates to Ruby and sending for Cady who came rushing over to the hospital.

Although Walt was certainly in medical distress as well, his treatment was rather straightforward. Positive results came quickly. It had been determined that, based on the geographic location where Walt was when the snake attacked, and Walt's physical description of the snake, that it had been a Prairie rattler, known to inject a relatively small amount of venom into its victim.

In his favour was Walt's size and general good health. His large body would be able to cope well enough with the small amount of venom it received. It was fortunate that he was wearing gloves and that there was only one puncture wound. Not in his favour was the fact that he had basically run the equivalent of a marathon race to save Henry and the venom had widely circulated through his body systems.

After a treatment of anti-venom and fluids, Walt was rolled into his own hospital room for further monitoring. Vic had received an update on Walt's status and relocation and thus she proceeded to barge into his room uninvited to see how he was doing. Walt was sedated but seemed relieved to see Vic. He muttered "Vic, you're in charge. Call Mathias and give him an update." "Ok, Walt," she replied, her hand on his left forearm. "You rest now, ok. Henry is in good hands and although he's pretty sick, they say he's responding well to treatment." Vic remained with Walt until he fell asleep and then headed over to the Sheriff's Department office to work with Ferg on the case. It was still not clear whether Henry's apparent kidnapping and torture fell under the county or Rez jurisdiction. Either way, Vic knew she would be working with Mathias to find Malachi and put him in prison where he belonged.

While he was in recovery, at times awake but sleepy from the medication, Walt's mind began to wander. He mulled over something Ferg had said to him a few months before, after he had been shot. They had all felt tremendous relief after Donna had been rescued, however it seemed as though Walt and Donna were going to break up soon after being reunited. Nothing much got past Vic or Ferg and they quietly surmised that Donna was not really suitable for Walt in spite of his dedication to her. Unexpectedly, one night after work around that time, Ferg invited Walt out for a beer. To Walt's surprise, Ferg had offered an amazingly perceptive comment and piece of advice.

"Walt, I hope you don't mind me saying this," Ferg approached cautiously, both men on their second beer of the night. "Shoot, Ferg. I'm all ears," said Walt with an air of resignation.

"Walt, I'm sorry that things didn't seem to work out with you and Donna. You seemed really happy for a while there," Ferg offered. "Yeah, well, I guess you know my pathetic track record by now," Walt replied with sadness in his voice. Walt continued, "Ferg, I appreciate your concern. I know things didn't work out for me and Donna. We just couldn't seem to make a go of it." Walt took another long draw on his beer. "Ferg, you seem to be contemplating something else. What is it?"

Ferg looked at Walt with hesitation. He wasn't sure how to proceed. "Walt, I think you should know something. Vic's thinking of leaving Durant." Ferg sighed at the thought of losing yet another deputy, particularly Vic, of whom Ferg was certainly very fond.

Walt seemed a bit stunned by this information. "Um…Ferg. I had no idea. I thought maybe she was going to settle down here," he offered rather lamely, instantly regretting that he had no idea what was going on in the office around him lately. He had shamefully been obsessed with his flawed relationship with Donna and had hardly thought of Vic or Ferg or Ruby lately.

"Well, Walt. I don't think anyone's given her a reason to stay." Ferg let his loaded statement float in the air for a few minutes before continuing. "Walt, do you like Vic?" he asked boldly, not sure if he had crossed a line.

"Ferg…um…what are you saying?" Walt knew exactly what Ferg meant.

"Well, Walt, it's not really my place to say something, but I think because of things that have happened to us in the past and the losses we've shared – that we should remember that sometimes we have less time than we think. I think that we should cherish the things that we hold dear because it seems like we could lose them at any moment. We've already lost Branch and I don't think any of us want to lose Vic as well." Gawd, Ferg thought to himself, I sound just like my mom…"I hope you don't mind me saying that."

Walt sat in silence for a while. After a time, he replied, "No, I don't mind Ferg – I appreciate you telling me. I don't want to lose Vic either." The matter was tabled for the time being and of course Walt became paralyzed over the issue and took no further action with the expression of his feelings towards Vic.

Back at the hospital after the snakebite, the treatment had helped stabilize Walt and reduced most of his symptoms. The doctor wanted Walt to stay in the hospital overnight for observation, but to no one's surprise he refused. Vic subsequently had struck a serious bargain with the doctor and then Walt, after witnessing first hand his recklessness after being shot. She was taking no prisoners with her view of his situation. In specific terms, she outlined how she thought the next day or two would roll out. A little to her surprise, Walt accepted the terms without debate. He would not admit it yet, but her concern and support was welcome in his fragile state. With medication in hand, she whisked Walt away to his cabin, leaving Ferg to man the station. She would monitor Walt overnight and if he were able to surpass certain medical milestones, she would leave him to his own devices and she would return to work. She had also conferred with Cady who was currently hovering between Walt and Henry's hospital rooms. They agreed that Cady would monitor Henry's progress, that they would text each other as needed through the night. Once they had arrived at the cabin, Vic dialed down her aggressive tone and gently guided Walt to rest on his leather couch. She quickly built a fire and wrapped Walt in a warm blanket. A tender quality had come over her, as she spoke in gentle tones and eased Walt to lie down for a nap. She fetched him apple juice for his medications, a cool compress to ease his headache and an ice pack for his hand. Once the medication for his headache and nausea had kicked in, Walt became noticeably more relaxed. He lay in a drowsy state on the couch, with Vic sitting next to him. She eventually managed to get him on his feet and pointed towards the bathroom, into more comfortable sleeping clothes and into bed. She decided not to press any food on him, since he had experienced nausea at the hospital. She would make sure that he had a decent breakfast in the morning.

At one point in the night, a very restless Walt, was experiencing a nightmare. In the dream he was trying to find Henry but could not. He was haunted by images of Malachi and Barlow plotting further attacks. Vic sat beside him on the bed, speaking in soothing, calming tones, while she rubbed his back and tried to ease him into leaving the dream and coming back to an awakened state…. Walt finally woke up to find Vic by his side.

"Walt, it's ok. You can let go now," Vic pleaded, wanting Walt to be free of fear. "Everyone's ok now. Cady texted me to say that Henry is doing a little better" she stated, wanting to climb in bed beside him.

"Vic. You're here with me," Walt stated. He seemed confused as he reached for her.

"Walt, it's ok. Here, hang on to me for a bit," Vic said as she eased into bed beside Walt. "You were having a bad dream, but it's over now." Walt relaxed again and dozed in Vic's arms through most of the night, awakening in early morning. He did not feel well rested at all with aches in his arms and legs and back. His hand was sore. As he stirred in bed, Vic started to move beside him.

"Vic, you stayed with me. I thought it was a dream," Walt said with a slight smile on his face. "I was worried about you, Walt," Vic said with concern, rubbing her hand on his back. They lay entwined in each other's arms for a while before Vic asked if Walt needed some medication. They both determined that the soreness in his arms and legs was probably due to the exertion of carrying Henry, rather than from the snakebite. A bit later on, Walt shifted to face Vic in bed and said softly to her "Vic, I want you to stay."

"Walt, I can stay for a while longer as I said, but after lunch I'll have to get back to the office. Mathias may have a lead on Malachi and he wants to meet with me." Vic replied.

"No, that's not what I mean, Vic. I've heard a rumour that you might be leaving Durant. I want you to stay here," Walt stated, knowing that he was catching Vic off guard.

Well, that's just peachy, Vic thought to herself. Here we go again. But instead of sniping at Walt, Vic said calmly, "Walt, now is not the time to discuss this. You're sick and need to rest."

"No, Vic…I want you to hear me. I've been a real shit about this over the past year….and now I want you to know how I feel…." Walt stated emphatically. "I have feelings for you and I don't want to lose you."

"Well, Walt. It may be a bit late for that," Vic replied. "I'm thinking of leaving because there's been no really compelling reason for me to stay." She hated that this conversation was starting when Walt was sick. But he brought it up.

"Vic, won't you listen to me," Walt pleaded.

"Walt, I think you've had a few chances to tell me that lately. I've never heard you tell me how you feel, so I don't have a clue. What am I supposed to do - hang around for the next few years until you've dated all the professional women in Durant? And then I get the leftovers, when you've been dumped or you get bored?" Vic hated how cruel she sounded, but she felt that she had a point to make. "Sorry, that sounded cruel…" she said softly.

"No, you have a point, Vic. It's true. I've been a jerk about the whole Donna thing and I'm sorry that I hurt you. I asked you to stay after your marriage broke up, but I didn't back it up with anything concrete. I didn't give you any explanation. And then I made a huge mistake with Donna and I hurt you. Will you hear me out?"

"I don't know, Walt. I'm just so tired. Sometimes I just want to have a simple job that doesn't have weird hours and doesn't involve the people I care about getting hurt," Vic said with exasperation in her voice.

"Does that mean you care about me?" Walt ventured with a small smile on his face. He caressed her face gently, as she lay in bed opposite him. He was astounded and filled with pleasure that she stayed in bed with him all night long. He was disappointed that he was so out of it that he failed to enjoy it while it was happening. He wanted more of that delicious feeling. He decided to confess all to Vic.

"Vic, I'm astounded that you stayed in bed with me all night. Surely that must mean something?" he said with hope in his voice. "I mean, if Ferg were sick, would you do that for him?" He realized that his line of questioning sounded desperate and ridiculous. But he didn't care.

"Well, I'd do whatever I could to help Ferg, but I guess I wouldn't crawl in bed with him," Vic said with a hint of a smile on her face. "Walt, you're such an ass sometimes, you know!" she said, gently punching his shoulder. "Why can't you just come out and tell me how you feel? How come someone has to point things out to you, or I have to feel like I'm sniping at you or fishing for a compliment?" she demanded of Walt.

"Well, I'm an idiot. But I'm trying not to be that way. I don't want to lose you. I love you, even though I've done virtually nothing to show you how I feel," Walt stated firmly. He'd put all his cards on the table. "Vic, I know it's a bit much, but just listen to me and let that soak in for a while."

"Look, Walt. I appreciate your comments and that it took courage for you to make them. Let's get some rest and talk about this later. Don't worry, I don't have any specific plans to leave just yet, ok? I'll be sure to talk to you again about this. Now don't worry about it, just focus on getting better. You'll want to go visit Henry in the hospital. We'll have to stop off at Mathias' department on the way – yesterday I arranged for the Bronco to be dropped off there," she stated, hoping to keep Walt calm and well rested. Vic truly cared about Walt, but just wasn't sure that he would be stable enough to make future plans with. For now, she would mull things over.

A bit later on that morning, Vic managed to get Walt into the shower, while she made the bed, tidied up the living room and started a modest breakfast for them. Scrambled eggs and toast sounded good and would be easily digestible for Walt.

After breakfast and a brief assessment of Walt's medical condition, just before they left the cabin, Walt reached for Vic and they enjoyed a long embrace. He savoured her scent and softness. Vic murmured into his neck "Walt, I'm very happy that you're on the mend and that you brought Henry home. I don't really want to leave you but we're gonna have to talk more about this." Her words left Walt with a glimmer of hope.

Vic drove them both to the police station on the Rez, where they briefly met with Mathias. He was genuinely concerned and gentle and brief with his line of questioning about Walt and Henry's physical condition. Walt and Mathias exchanged theories about Malachi's possible location, while Vic left to head back to the Sheriff's Department office. She and Walt would meet up later that afternoon at the hospital.

After some time, Walt left Mathias, bound for the hospital. He checked in at the front desk and made his way to Henry's room. There he found his old friend lying in bed, looking terribly thin and burned. Henry's hair was discoloured and brittle. The skin on his face was very dry and red and he looked uncomfortable. "Henry," Walt whispered, "are you awake?"

"No, I am asleep, my friend," Henry whispered back with a rasping laugh. Walt leaned down towards Henry and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Henry…" he said, with tears in his eyes. "I thought I'd lost you out there."

"I knew you would find me, Walt," Henry whispered, reaching for Walt's hand. Henry's throat was sore from the breathing tube which had been recently removed since it was no longer needed. "I was waiting for you," he stated simply, not needing to say anything further.

"Oh Henry. This has to stop. We have to find Malachi and put a stop to all this," said Walt with force.

"Walt, how is your hand? The nurse told me about the rattlesnake." "It's ok, thanks Henry. It was a problem, but now it's not," Walt replied in typical fashion.

The pair had a quick chat and Walt promised to visit later that evening. "Thank you my friend," Henry said, taking Walt's hand just before he departed.

Henry's recovery was slow and not without its ups and downs. His visitors were kept to a minimum, with only Walt, Vic and Cady making daily appearances to see him.

After almost a week in the hospital, Henry was released to his 'family' for further support. Although he would have preferred the solitude and privacy of his loft above the Red Pony, he knew that he would lose that argument with Cady. So he opted to continue his recuperation in her spare bedroom, with frequent visits and food drops arriving at intervals from Vic, Ruby, Ferg (well, Ferg's mom), Dorothy, several aunties and uncles from the Rez, Mathias and his sister. Walt had not committed to any food drops, but had been a frequent visitor, long after the regular crowd had departed. Walt brought Henry one can of beer per visit. Although at times it felt somewhat contrived, their visits were deliberately kept on the light side of the scale. To promote healing, Walt had decided to fess up and apologize to Henry for his self-destructive behaviour and undeserving harsh judgement of his friend's mercenary actions. Although Walt still viewed Henry's vigilante actions as a form of betrayal, there was no longer a need to fight over the issue. Not without lingering tension, the two eventually made up lost ground. They agreed to keep sight of their individual points of view while remaining respectful of boundaries. They both swore that they would never again stray so far from their life-long commitment to friendship. They progressed to pleasant chats over card games and reminisces of their shared past. Occasionally Henry would ask for an update on the search for Malachi, but generally speaking, their conversations were limited to pleasant matters. One time Henry gently prodded Walt about his feelings for Vic, and in turn, Walt confessed to Henry that he was finally able to tell Vic how he felt and how he had hope that she might stay in Durant. It seemed as though the two men were finally making progress towards peace and acceptance.

After ten days of visits from well-wishers, much intake of high calorie food and beverages, hugs and backrubs, and only one humiliating application of fingernail polish by Ruby's youngest great niece, Henry was more than ready to go home. To his surprise, he was delivered home by Ferg, who made sure Henry was safe walking up the long flight of stairs to the loft above the Red Pony. Ferg also put food packages in the fridge and put the kettle on for some herbal tea. "Thank you Ferg, you have been so helpful these past few weeks," Henry said with a smile.

"We were worried about you, Henry," Ferg returned with a smile on his face. "Take care and get lots of rest. Make sure you finish off all that soup that your aunties brought. They'll want to see that you regained all the weight you lost," he mentioned. "And there's the salve for your wrists." They said goodbye with a firm handshake at the door. "Ferg, you continue to astound me with the depth of your kindness and perception," Henry said with a grin, leaving Ferg honoured but puzzled by the comment. Henry had definitely noticed how shaken Ferg was by Henry's medical state. Ferg seemed to be more shaken by Henry's situation than by Walt's state, which led to further speculation on Henry's part. They both would ruminate on this for some months to come.

In a relaxed state, Henry sat in his leather chair for a time, looking at his sparsely decorated loft. He was enjoying the solitude and the feeling he had of coming back from a dark place. He hoped that Walt and Mathias would continue to pursue Malachi and his lackey Darius.

Before going downstairs to check on the bar, Henry thought he would take a quick look in his safe to see how much cash he had on hand for personal groceries and gas. Now that he had progressed in his recovery and was allowed to drive, he was looking forward to some time on his own and maybe a long drive to clear his head. He dialed the safe combination and much to his surprise, the ever-present plastic figures of the Cowboy and Indian had been returned to their natural state atop his private papers. For a time, they had resided with Walt. But now they had been returned 'home' to Henry, their keeper. No longer were they in a position of mock combat. The Indian figure had been placed on a primitive twig travois that was being dragged by the Cowboy. There was a note in Walt's blocky handwriting left next to the miniature tableau, which read "I'll always have your back. I will respect the asymptote."

Henry smiled to himself as he closed his safe. Balance was coming to his corner of the world once again.


End file.
